


Exceptional

by qwanderer



Series: Pardicer [12]
Category: Leverage
Genre: Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Multi, POV Hardison
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-20 19:24:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9508907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qwanderer/pseuds/qwanderer
Summary: Hardison knew that his woman and his man, both of 'em had trouble with words sometimes. They couldn't always figure out how to put what they felt into their words or their faces, and sometimes they didn't know how much was even okay to show.There were parts of both of them that scared Hardison, sure, but there wasn't anything he didn't want to see, especially if it was about what they wanted, anything he could do to make them happy.





	

**Author's Note:**

> More Alec Hardison has been requested of me, and so I give you more Alec Hardison! I figured out I've probably partly been avoiding writing his perspective because I'm afraid he'll veer too far over in the direction of my Tony Stark voice, but I think I'm doing okay.
> 
> Haven't rewatched The Toy Job yet - saw Hidden Figures on Saturday instead, yay, still got my Aldis Hodge fix! So this is an episodeless fic. But I will be seeing TTJ tomorrow, and probably writing something about those events!

That step back... it had been rough. 

Less because Hardison had lost Eliot, if only incrementally, and more because Parker was hurting for the loss of Eliot, and because he could tell how much Eliot was hurting and confused. 

This had been worrying Hardison ever since the job with the car. Eliot wanted something that neither he nor Parker likely ever would. 

They'd talked it through once, settled some things. Talked it through again, ended up with that step back, with Eliot taking time and space to think things over. 

Now Eliot was back, but Hardison still worried. They hadn't exactly talked it out, not to Alec's satisfaction. 

Hardison knew that his woman and his man, both of 'em had trouble with words sometimes. They couldn't always figure out how to put what they felt into their words or their faces, and sometimes they didn't know how much was even okay to show. 

There were parts of both of them that scared Hardison, sure, but there wasn't anything he didn't want to see, especially if it was about what they wanted, anything he could do to make them happy. 

He couldn't always make them happy, he knew that. Nothing would make Parker happier than going rappelling or base-jumping or whatever else with him every night of the week, but there was no way that was happening, nope, nuh-uh. Hardison needed to spend as much time as possible with his feet firmly on the ground. 

But when he'd thought Eliot wanted them all to retire together, his reaction had been... not that. It had been, _I'd do that, if it'd make you shine like that. If it'd make you smile a little more often._

Parker's reaction had been pretty solidly in the area of "nope," though. And that was right for Parker. 

But, man, he'd never felt like the three of 'em would be more complicated than two of 'em, not until then. And now it was too late to back out. He couldn't choose between the two. His man and his woman. Eliot, who was made of passion, who would cut his heart right out of his own chest if either of them ever asked him to. And Parker, who was made of courage, who let the two of them closer than anyone else had ever managed to get. 

They needed to find a balance. And it was absolutely Parker's right to tell Eliot "no." 

But Hardison was beginning to realize that the problem was that Eliot would never deny them anything. Would never tell either of them "no." Not about anything important. 

He'd taken his walkabout, and he'd come back. Because it had hurt Eliot more to stay away. But Hardison needed to know he was doing everything possible to make sure staying with them didn't hurt any more than it had to. 

He let them all have one night not to talk, to just bask in the glow of being close to each other again. Because Eliot was shining, okay? He was happier than Hardison had ever seen him, to be back with him and Parker. To be kissing Hardison breathless and to have Parker using him like her own personal jungle gym. 

They slept tumbled all together in a pile that night, happy and wiggly and restless 'til they all dropped off, but there was no sex. Not because Hardison didn't want it, or because Eliot didn't, but because Hardison knew he wanted to make sure of some things, first. 

* * *

After they finished breakfast the next morning, and Parker had gone off to climb something tall and crow gleefully at the sky, Eliot started the dishes, and Hardison settled in to help him dry. 

"What?" Eliot asked, looking sideways at him. 

"You gonna be okay?" Hardison asked. 

"Yeah," Eliot answered, smiling easily. 

"Even if we never retire? Because, y'know, the kind of world we live in, there's never really gonna be an end to the work we do." 

Eliot was silent, searching for words, but it wasn't tense, wasn't desperate. It was just empty space, a comfortable place between them waiting to be filled. 

"I told Nate that the kid I used to be was gone forever," he said finally. "But then pieces of him kept comin' back. I just... I needed to know how much I could get back, from that time." 

"Yeah?" Hardison asked. "What'd you find?" 

"A lotta things," Eliot answered. "But I missed a lot more than I found." 

Alec closed his eyes, breathing out. "If we're keeping you from havin' the life you want, that's not cool," he told Eliot. "If you need something else, we'll work at it. We want you happy, yeah?" 

"I... Alec. I _am_ happy. Never been happier." 

"But there's things you want. Things we can't give you." As much as it pained him to say it, it needed to be said. He needed to make sure. 

"Yeah," Eliot said. "Maybe." 

"That sucks, man. It's not fair. So just... just keep us in the loop, 'kay? If there's somethin' you want, tell us, and we'll figure out how to make it happen, if we can. That's the way this works, Eliot. You don't get to give us every last thing you got and keep nothin' for yourself. We need to know you're as happy as we can make you." 

There was silence again, even longer this time. 

"I'm always gonna want to be... more than I can be," Eliot told him. "'S just who I am. I wanna cook, wanna spend all day just makin' food. I wanna teach kids how to cook, help Toby save kids the way Toby saved me. I wanna have a farm, make things grow. Go fishing an' camping. I could stand to spend more time makin' music, it's a great feeling to be in front of a crowd and makin' 'em all feel the way you do about a song. I like grifting, when I can get a handle on it. And yeah. I wanna punch people in the face who deserve it. That's not gone. It's just... quieter, now, than it used to be. Got lost in the rest of the noise. But most of all, I wanna help people. And I wanna be there with you two when you're doing your thing, keep you safe. So yeah. I'm with the team for the long haul. An' it's not a sacrifice. It's what I want. It's a lotta the things I want. Maybe not all of 'em, but it's not your fault, not either of you, that I got too much I wanna do for one lifetime. That's just... that's just life." 

"Wow." 

"What." Eliot's familiar scowl was back. 

"Wow. Eliot Spencer. I don't know if you know how incredible you are. But you. You are amazing. There's just too much freaking awesome in you to express itself in our reality." 

Eliot's expression went from the scowl to a brief, soft awe before he started shaking his head and rolling his eyes. He put the last dish in Hardison's reach and started draining the dishwater. 

"You know I mean every bit of that, right?" 

"Yeah," Eliot replied. "I know." He didn't look at Hardison, didn't quite meet his eye. 

"Yeah, you know what I think," Hardison allowed. "You just don't think I'm right. Well, guess what, my guy, you don't get to tell me I'm the smartest guy you've ever seen and then turn around and tell me I don't know exactly how great you are. So, trust my big brain on this one, huh?" 

Eliot scoffed. "I knew that one was gonna come back to bite me someday," he said, but Hardison could see the smile fighting to escape. 

Hardison dried the last dish and put it in its place, then pulled Eliot in, wrapping him up tight in his arms. He kissed Eliot's temple. 

"I know there's a lotta not nice stuff in there," he told Eliot. "Not denyin' that. But there is so much good stuff. So much. You're the most extraordinary guy I've ever known too, you know?" 

Eliot looked like he wanted to answer but couldn't, not with words. Instead he reached for one of Alec's hands, twined their fingers together, then with his other hand, cupped Hardison's neck and pulled him down for a kiss. 

A firm, sure, passionate kiss, turning hungry, as they often did between the two. It felt like it was hours, but then Hardison pulled back to catch his breath. 

"Oh, I missed you," he gasped against Eliot's cheek. 

Eliot chuckled. "I can feel that," he said, palming Hardison's crotch. 

"It's not just that. You know it's not just that. Although, yeah, he missed you, too." 

Eliot shook his head, still laughing, then pulled Alec down again to whisper in his ear. "You both got me," he said. "Long as you want me." 

Alec wanted to say, _forever._

But he figured he should ask Parker about that, first. 

So he answered without words, too. He answered with a kiss. 


End file.
